Warriors hold off Clippers in 1st-round series opener

Scrappy effort helps defense hold strong down stretch

Updated 10:59 pm, Saturday, April 19, 2014

Jermaine O'Neal gets Blake Griffin on this play, but it was Griffin who sat with foul trouble.

Jermaine O'Neal gets Blake Griffin on this play, but it was Griffin who sat with foul trouble.

Photo: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

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David Lee (right) embraces Draymond Green after the Game 1 victory.

David Lee (right) embraces Draymond Green after the Game 1 victory.

Photo: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

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Andre Iguodala, who spent considerable time on the bench in foul trouble, soars along the baseline between DeAndre Jordan (6) and Glen Davis.

Andre Iguodala, who spent considerable time on the bench in foul trouble, soars along the baseline between DeAndre Jordan (6) and Glen Davis.

Photo: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 19: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots over Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 19, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) less

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 19: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots over Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs ... more

Photo: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

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The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin soaks a fan in Golden State Warriors garb as he reacts to a replay showing Griffin committing his fifth foul against Golden State in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 19, 2014. The Warriors won, 109-105. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/MCT) less

The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin soaks a fan in Golden State Warriors garb as he reacts to a replay showing Griffin committing his fifth foul against Golden State in Game 1 of the first round of the ... more

Photo: Robert Gauthier, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Warriors hold off Clippers in 1st-round series opener

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Los Angeles --

With Andrew Bogut sitting somewhere in the Bay Area with a broken rib and Andre Iguodala sitting on the bench after fouling out Saturday, the sixth-seeded Warriors somehow managed to upset the No. 3 Clippers on Saturday afternoon.

As their two best defenders looked on helplessly, the Warriors shut out the high-octane Clippers for the final 90 seconds of Game 1 and preserved a 109-105 victory to steal home-court advantage in the best-of-seven, first-round series.

"When you look at the makeup of this basketball team, it's fighters from top to bottom," Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said. "The survey says we're not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be coaching, because I've got no experience. Steph Curry is supposed to be retired because of his ankles. David Lee was a loser. Jermaine O'Neal is supposed to be finished. Harrison Barnes dropped in the draft. Klay Thompson, how could he be sitting at No. 11 with that talent in the draft? Draymond Green is just a gamer."

The Warriors needed help from all of those underdogs to help the series live up to its billing as the playoffs' most-entertaining first-round matchup and to deliver the series' first knockdown. Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday in Los Angeles, and the series shifts to Oakland for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and next Sunday.

The Warriors were ahead 98-88 on a Lee layup with 6:33 remaining, but the Clippers were ignited by the return of Blake Griffin, who sat out eight minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters with five fouls. With Griffin back on the floor, the Clippers reeled off a 15-4 run and took a 103-102 lead on a Darren Collison layup with 2:10 to play.

Barnes blocked Chris Paul's point-blank shot with 1:49 remaining and hit a three-pointer at the other end for a 105-103 lead. After Griffin tied it with two free throws at the 1:31 mark, the Clippers never scored again - going 0-for-3 from the floor, committing two turnovers and seeing Chris Paul, an 86 percent free-throw shooter, miss two foul shots in an inexplicable closing for the league's best point guard.

"I don't know," Paul said. "I'll look at it, I promise you that. As soon as I get home, I'll look at it. We all just have to be ready."

The Warriors converted just 3 of 8 free throws in the final 24 seconds, consistently giving the Clippers new life, but then defended them to death to escape a repeat of last year's playoff opener. The Warriors blew double-digit leads in Game 1 of each of their playoff series last year, and they went 13-13 in a league-high 26 games that were decided by fewer than five points this season.

The Clippers refused to let Curry (14 points, seven assists, seven turnovers) beat them, constantly trapping or double teaming off of pick-and-rolls. But Thompson led the way with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Lee bounced back from a rough first half to post 20 points and 13 rebounds. Barnes had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and Jermaine O'Neal went for 13 points in place of Bogut.

For the Clippers, Paul had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, along with six turnovers, and J.J. Redick added 22 points. But they couldn't dominate inside with Griffin playing only 19 minutes because of foul trouble. Griffin's absence leveled the playing court with the Warriors, who won the boards 48-42 and had more points in the paint 48-42.

"We felt like we had nothing to lose coming into this series," said Lee, who went 5-of-8 for 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and committed zero turnovers in the game's closing 17 minutes. "We feel like these are two very good basketball teams, but we're a little shorthanded. ... We feel like we have enough players to win this series if we're aggressive. Maybe being shorthanded focused us in on that a little more."

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